


Building Bridges (and Getting Over It)

by Karasuno Volleygays (ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor)



Series: UshiOi Month [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: College Rivals, M/M, Online Dating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 13:38:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19724776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor/pseuds/Karasuno%20Volleygays
Summary: Wakatoshi wasn't enthused about the idea of being set up against his will on an online dating site, but when he found someone who interested him, he took his friends' advice and let it happen. However, neither of them were ready to find out each other's true identities.





	Building Bridges (and Getting Over It)

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Day 6 of UshiOi month: college team rivals.

Wakatoshi shook his head and picked his literature book back up, cutting off his roommate Hiroki’s insistent wheedling. “I’m not doing it.”

“Oh, come on, dude.” Hiroki nudged closer to where Wakatoshi sat cross-legged on his bed. “There are better ways to spend your free time than reading or running until you drop.”

“I’m sure there are,” Wakatoshi murmured. “That doesn’t mean I want to do those things.”

Hiroki closed his eyes and counted to ten under his breath. “You’re in college. You’re supposed to be full of bad ideas, not go to bed at ten and do all your homework as soon as you get it.”

Closing his book, Wakatoshi climbed off of his bed and headed for the common room. “I’m sure many of our classmates are full of bad ideas. That doesn’t mean I have to be.”

“Don’t be so boring!” Hiroki called out while Wakatoshi shut the door behind him. 

The common room was at its usual dull roar, with video game battles and gossip and all manners of time-wasting rituals occurring around him, but that was something Wakatoshi could handle. None of it was directed toward him, and he could get back to studying the new coursework for the class he was by far struggling with the most.

His focus was ripped away the moment someone dropped onto the couch next to him, and Wakatoshi’s eyes narrowed when he saw it was Hiroki. “No. I’m not doing it.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know you won’t do it.” Hiroki groaned and sank into the couch. “I’m just worried about you, man. You don’t do anything but volleyball and class. If you don’t try some new things, you’re gonna regret it.”

Wakatoshi’s gaze blurred on the page as Hiroki’s plea sunk in. Ever since his roommate had caught onto Wakatoshi’s preference of men over women, Hiroki had tried to set him up with somebody for a date. It was an offer Wakatoshi had adamantly refused for months on end, even despite Hiroki’s latest offer, which was a blind date with a guy from a completely different school.

‘If it goes wrong, you don’t have to worry about it being weird’, he had said. That didn’t negate the fact that Wakatoshi was uncomfortable at the thought of engaging in conversation with a complete stranger. He was awkward enough around people he already knew; trying to find common ground with someone he didn’t know would be so much worse.

But when he stopped tuning out the chatter in the common room, he found that most of the conversations were centered around romantic pursuits. Other guys were talking about their girlfriends making them luck charms or doing something cute or changing their hair in some alluring way, and some were mooning over wishing that were them instead. 

An unwanted pang of longing knotted in his gut. He was well aware that he had not gone through the same rites of passage as most people his age. When his classmates in high school were busy chasing girls, Ushijima was running or lifting weights or rushing through his homework so he could do those things instead.

It had taken him some time to realize that he hadn’t joined the other boys in pursuit of love interests because he wasn’t interested in girls that way. He didn’t mind their presence at all, with many of them far more well-versed in practical subjects, but he did not want to date any of them in the slightest.

A volleyball road trip with his Shiratorizawa teammates, a hotel with free cable, and a very awkward arousal while watching men’s gymnastics gave him a little insight as to why that was, along with a bizarre conversation about it with Reon.

So Ushijima Wakatoshi was into guys, but while he was playing his way through college and into the future, he wasn’t into dating. He reminded himself of that when he stared at his textbook without reading a single word, a pang of longing lingering in his chest all the while.

Hiroki was getting up to return to their room, readying himself for a night out with his pretty and overall agreeable girlfriend, when Wakatoshi stopped him with a curt, “All right. I’ll do it one time. If I hate it, you won’t bring it up ever again.”

Blinking in surprise, Hiroki gasped, “Yeah, sure. That’s fair.”

With that, Hiroki left Wakatoshi alone on the couch amidst a sea of their fellow dorm dwellers. However, anticipation simmered within him long enough to make him give up on coursework entirely. 

Wakatoshi found himself staying up an hour after his usual bedtime, researching usual protocols for first date behavior. There were copious resources about dating girls, but precious little was to be had about how to approach a blind date with men while also a man. He didn’t think mace was something he would be bringing along, and he knew how to plant a solid kick into a groin if he so chose.

Instead, he consulted the link Hiroki had sent him for his prospective date’s online profile with the dating service. There weren’t any pictures, but the username was SpaceBoi96. Considering he had been born in 1996, Wakatoshi guessed they were the same age.

The likes were what piqued his interest. SpaceBoi96 enjoyed sci-fi manga, pop music, junk food, and _volleyball_. Wakatoshi didn’t know much about science fiction or pop music, but everybody enjoyed junk food and he certainly enjoyed volleyball.

In a fit of impulse, he clicked the Direct Message link and sent a quick hello before he could change his mind. 

A few minutes later, Wakatoshi received an enthusiastic reply. 

**_SpaceBoi96_** _: Ooh, hello again!_

Again? Wakatoshi mentally noted to punish Hiroki in some petty way for both not giving him the chance to get to know this person on his own, and also because he hated the username selected on his behalf. Unsure and unwilling to check what this person already ‘knew’ about him, he opted instead to start fresh. 

**_PlantMan15_ :** _How are you today?_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: happy :3_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: i was hoping you would message today_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: i had a lot of fun chatting the other night_ _  
_ **_SpaceBoi96_** : _and i may or may not have the picture you sent saved to my phone_

Wakatoshi started. Picture of what? He checked the DM history on the site, and much to his irritation, it was a picture of his legs in the posture he usually reserved for reading.

 **_PlantMan15_** _: Sorry about that. That was inappropriate._   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: sorry for what? the only thing you have to be ashamed of is every day you wear long pants and deprive the world of your delicious thighs_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: forget i said that_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: i’m really not good at this kind of thing_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: my friends keep ragging on me for not going out and doing stuff that normal guys in college do, but i have so much on my plate, you know?_   
**_PlantMan15_** _: I really do._   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: i love college volleyball so much and i don’t mind putting in the work, but i’m struggling in a few classes because i don’t have the time to do the coursework._ _  
_ **_PlantMan15_** _: I can sympathize with that._

And he could. If this person was a hard worker, it would everything he had to make everything work and then some. At least, that was Wakatoshi’s experience. Rigorous training for volleyball was the easiest part of any given day for Wakatoshi.

 **_SpaceBoi96_** _: i figured_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: anyone who uses punctuation in an im is someone who puts a lot of work into everything_   
**_PlantMan15_** _: I don’t know about that._   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: i do. you’re either a 60 year old catfisher or a guy who doesn’t do anything if he can’t do it right._   
**_PlantMan15_** _: I know I’m not 60._ _  
_ **_SpaceBoi96_** _: with legs like that? never_

The brazen statement drew a cough from Wakatoshi, but it left a smile in its wake. Whoever SpaceBoi96 was, he was playful but had a serious side to him as well. Those were always Wakatoshi’s favorite people to be around. They weren’t always, but Shiratorizawa had taught him a new way of doing things, both personally and professionally.

They chatted for almost an hour after that, with inhibition and capitalization alike falling away the more he got to know this new person in his life. Once they disconnected, Wakatoshi scrolled through their message history just to see it all again, both to see what nonsense Hiroki had spouted on his behalf and also to look at one particular sentence over and over. When he had asked SpaceBoi how he felt about the drive to win, he had simply replied ‘hit it until it breaks’. 

The mantra stuck with him, and long after he gave up on sleep, it still churned in Wakatoshi’s brain. Not many people understood that innate desire to win at everything that matters, and fewer could comprehend the absolute drive he poured into volleyball. ‘Just a sport’ was never a feeling Wakatoshi had while he played. It was a way of life.

And it was a way of life SpaceBoi seemed to share.

When Hiroki returned to their room, Wakatoshi pretended to be asleep so he wouldn’t have to field questions he wasn’t prepared to answer yet. It was still too new, too uncertain to say for sure that this person was someone he truly wanted to meet.

Instead, he kept his smattering of conversations with SpaceBoi96 throughout the day to himself. They’d occasionally exchange pictures of various parts of their day and their person. SpaceBoi’s room was an absolute disaster, and he had more clothes on the floor than Wakatoshi owned period. 

In turn, Wakatoshi sent a snapshot of his half of the dorm room, which was tidy and free of the smell of stale socks he didn’t doubt lingered in SpaceBoi’s room. They even sent pictures of their hands to each other. Wakatoshi’s were larger, but SpaceBoi’s looked dexterous and well kept. That fit with the statement from SpaceBoi that he was a setter.

The mood of their chats didn’t roam into the realm of reality until he got a hasty message far earlier in the morning than SpaceBoi tended to be awake.

 **_SpaceBoi96_** _: OMG I JUST REALIZED OUR TEAM IS PLAYING YOURS IN A WEEK_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: WE COULD ACTUALLY SEE EACH OTHER!!!!!_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: didn’t mean to yell_ (✿◕‿◕)   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: actually i did because i’m literally cheering out loud right now_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: i’ll get a chance to finally meet you_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: almost makes me forget that a toolbag i used to play against in high school is on your team and i would rather eat gravel than deal with him being a smug jerk_ _  
_ **_SpaceBoi96_** _: though i don’t intend to lose and give him the chance_ (งಠ_ಠ)ง

Annoyance surged in Wakatoshi’s chest. Someone had left a sour impression on SpaceBoi, and he almost didn’t want to know who it was. Usually what other people did on their own time didn’t concern him in the slightest, but he usually didn’t have a stake in their activities.

But at the concept of meeting SpaceBoi, he was confident that they would be as agreeable in person as they were online. 

The two of them decided to save their real names to give each other in person. Though Wakatoshi didn’t anticipate it on either of their parts, if one of them decided to back away from meeting, there would be a way to cut off contact indefinitely.

Rather than nervous, Wakatoshi surged forward with his week on a cloud of anticipation.

Finally, the day arrived, and several of his teammates gave him questioning looks on the bus to the other team’s home gym. He was thumbing away in a conversation with SpaceBoi, setting up the best place to meet and when. 

The big reveal was slated for an hour before the match, in the middle of the campus quad at the coffee cart right next to the flagpole. It was easy to find and public enough to be safe for a first meeting. SpaceBoi also recommended their lattes, even if Wakatoshi didn’t care for coffee.

His bus arriving at the campus almost twenty minutes before the scheduled meetup, Wakatoshi wandered into the campus store and picked up a stupid little keychain that made him think of SpaceBoi: a keychain of a little green alien flipping a double peace sign. He didn’t know if there was such a thing as a ‘nice to meet you’ gift, but he was going to give one nonetheless.

With nothing to do but wait, Wakatoshi settled on a bench near the flagpole, latte in hand. He had to admit, it tasted more like sugary milk than coffee, which was far preferable to the burnt dirt taste he remembered trying during high school.

From nearby, a familiar voice whined, “Oh, what the hell! What are _you_ doing here?”

Wakatoshi turned to take in the sight of a pouting Oikawa Tooru, arms crossed over his chest and nose in the air. “Oikawa.”

“Just because you’re on the visiting team, that doesn’t mean you get to wander around _my_ campus and sully _my_ favorite coffee place!” His diatribe halted when the barista offered a cup without an order being placed, and Tooru paid for it with a grin.

As soon as he turned back to Wakatoshi, his stormy demeanor returned. “Call anyone worthless lately, Ushiwaka? You know what I heard is fun? Going to elementary schools and telling kids they suck at everything unless they do it exactly like you do. Try it sometime. Seems like your thing.”

“Stop it.” Fist clenching around the keychain, Wakatoshi rose to his feet and stood toe to toe with Tooru. “You sound like a child.”

Tooru stuck his tongue out and scrunched his face. “Don’t care. Beat it, Ushibaka. I’ll see you on the court.”

Wakatoshi shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m waiting for someone, and I’d rather not have you throwing tantrums when they get here.”

“Yeah? Well, so am I, you walking raincloud!” Tooru edged closer. “In a few minutes, someone super cute and nice is going to come over here to say something dorky and adorable, and I don’t want you around messing it up.”

Chortling, Wakatoshi’s lip curled. “Ah, so you haven’t met yet? Good luck with that. Hope whoever it is brought duct tape.” Jamming the keychain back into the pocket of his sweats, Wakatoshi returned to the bench. “Do whatever you want. I’m not leaving.”

“Whatever!” Tooru paced in front of him, repeatedly wiping his palms on his pantlegs and sending the occasional hostile gaze in his direction. That didn’t matter to Wakatoshi, though. It was a small price to pay to meet the person he got along with more than anyone he had ever known.

He all but blocked out Tooru ranting under his breath, but one fragment of a comment made him freeze, his empty coffee cup slipping right from his hand.

“C’mon, PlantMan, where _are_ you?”

PlantMan. Though Ushijima doubted he was the only person with that handle, the odds of it being someone else right at this particular time and location was too remote to ignore. If Tooru was looking for PlantMan, it could only mean that —

“SpaceBoi,” Wakatoshi blurted, and Tooru wheeled around to gawk at him with wide, wild eyes.

They didn’t look away from each other for a split second, so Wakatoshi bore witness to the slow meltdown of what was left of Tooru’s composure.

“Nononononono!” The stalemate finally broken, Tooru closed his eyes and took a series of deep breaths, counting to ten between each one. “This is a dream. A very bad dream. I ate too much cheese before bed, and now I’m being punished for it. This isn’t real. Not real. Yeah, totally fake.” He opened his eyes, and when he saw that Wakatoshi was indeed still there, he muttered, “Fuck.”

“Agreed.” Wakatoshi gathered himself with far more poise than he felt, and he looked toward the gym. “I should go.”

Tooru didn’t answer, which in itself was a bad sign. Wakatoshi had yet to find a subject for which Tooru did not have a loudly voiced opinion.

Before he left the quad, though, he stopped in front of Tooru and plucked the keychain out of his pocket. The thought of keeping it on his person did not appeal to him in the slightest. Not when the person he got it for hated everything about him. 

Wakatoshi shoved it into Tooru’s hand. “This is for you,” he muttered before stalking back toward the gym as quickly as he could without running.

The match went better than he expected, considering his overall level of distraction. When his eyes weren’t following Tooru around the court, his thoughts were. The only reason he wasn’t a complete disaster was because volleyball was second only to breathing in his very being.

Tooru did not far quite so well. After a few very poor tosses and three sideouts in a row, he found himself on the bench before the first set was even over. Despite their quarrel earlier, Wakatoshi had no desire to see one of his greatest rivals consigned to the bench — especially because of him.

His thoughts were interrupted by a hand waving in front of his face. “Helloooo, earth to Ushijima.” Their middle blocker started poking him in the arm, but a sharp look stopped that practice immediately. “I know your body’s here, but where the hell is your brain at, dude?”

“Sorry,” Wakatoshi muttered, trying and failing to shake thoughts of Tooru from his head. “What were you saying?”

The team captain rolled his eyes but brought Wakatoshi up to speed with their game plan and rotation for the second set. They had one the previous set and planned to win the next one, too. 

The rest of the game didn’t go exactly as planned, with the match being stretched to a third set, but in the end Wakatoshi’s team came out on top. He didn’t feel much like he had won anything except being the first one back to the changing rooms, fleeing right after the handshake. 

He and Tooru had shaken hands; it was expected, after all. That didn’t mean Tooru didn’t try to crush Wakatoshi’s hand with a wicked smirk on his face. Even a couple of his teammates noticed.

On the bus back to the campus, one of the seniors slipped into the seat beside him and leaned in close. “Hey, what beef do you have with that Oikawa guy? You guys played the same tournaments a lot. Shouldn’t you be friends by now?”

“Hardly.” Wakatoshi crossed his arms and glowered at the seat back in front of him. “Oikawa hates me and he always has.” His shoulders sagged slightly as his gaze drifted out the window. “And he always will.”

His senpai hummed in thought. “Nah, I wouldn’t say that. You’re a little standoffish at first, but you’re a good guy. Maybe he just doesn’t know the real you well enough.”

 _Or he does know the real me but hates the rest of me so much it doesn’t matter,_ Wakatoshi mentally amended. 

A year ago, Wakatoshi wouldn’t have given a damn if Tooru hated him. However Last Year Wakatoshi didn’t fall for a bubbly sci fi nerd who typed way faster than him and thought everything Wakatoshi said was charming. After their disastrous meeting earlier, he still itched to pull out his phone and message SpaceBoi and tell him all about it.

“You like you’re gonna puke, man.” His teammate looked him over head to toe and shook his head. “Maybe you ate something bad.”

“Maybe,” Wakatoshi murmured, almost gagging on the word.

No, he didn’t feel good. He didn’t feel good about any of it. He didn’t feel good about the match, he didn’t feel good about his meeting with Tooru, he didn’t feel good about being robbed of his expectations of meeting SpaceBoi, and he didn’t feel great physically either.

When they got back to their usual campus, Wakatoshi didn’t bother grabbing his gear or going to the team meeting after. If he had to make contact with one more well-meaning person, he really would throw up.

The stars did not align for that wish. As soon as he came through the door, Hikaru was hovering around him. “So, how did it go?”

“Not well,” Wakatoshi hissed before curling up on his bed. “I knew this wouldn’t work.”

Hikaru had the decency to stay silent, instead opting for a weak, “Well, let me know if you want anything from the store. I’m going out.”

Wakatoshi yearned to request some chocolate, ready to ride the waves of its artificial endorphins, but that would only add to his current physical distress. 

As soon as Hikaru was gone, Wakatoshi buried his face in his pillow. In the course of his lifetime, many people had not liked him. Some of his schoolmates, some teammates, some opponents — he wasn’t even all that convinced that his mother liked him, albeit for reasons he had nothing to do with. It had never bothered him before. 

The idea of Tooru hating him was exhausting but doable, but knowing that SpaceBoi found him offensive only made his belly curdle more. 

Out of ideas and the will to think of more, Wakatoshi swatted at his phone until he found it and dialed the smartest person he knew. The line sprang to life after a few rings, and a familiar, steady voice greeted him. “Hello?”

“I need help,” he blurted, and after being prompted to continue, Wakatoshi opened up the floodgates and told Reon everything.

The summary of the situation was met with a low whistle. “I have to admit, this isn’t what I expected this call to be about. I figured you were just going to ask me about literature again.”

Wakatoshi shook his head, even if Reon would never see the gesture. “It isn’t what I expected either, but it’s what happened. What do I do?”

“Good question.” The line fell silent, and it was a terse minute or two before Reon asked, “So, knowing who you think he is and who he really is, do you like him anyway?”

“I —” If that question had an answer, Wakatoshi couldn’t offer it. He would not even be able to discern which Tooru was the one he knew in real life and the one he met online was who Tooru really was. Was he Oikawa, or was he SpaceBoi?

His eyes widened. He did have an answer for that. “It doesn’t matter which one he is.”

Reon chuckled. “Thought so. I promise not to tell anyone we know that you have a big stupid crush on Oikawa Tooru.”

Wakatoshi grimaced at the sentence but appreciated the sentiment thoroughly. “I appreciate the talk. I think I know what I need to do now.”

Left to his own devices but with a direction to go in, Wakatoshi opened the dating site and went straight to the message inbox. Surprise didn’t cover it when he saw a long string of messages from SpaceBoi96. He figured Tooru would have just blocked him and never spoken to him again.

Scrolling to the oldest message first, Wakatoshi soaked the words with a mix of anxiety and anticipation. 

**_SpaceBoi96_** _: ugh i still can’t believe you’re you_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: the universe obviously hates me_ _  
_ **_SpaceBoi96_** _: maybe it hates both of us_

The messages left off and picked back up again half an hour later.

 **_SpaceBoi96_** _: the keychain is really cute_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: why do i keep looking at it and thinking of PlantMan when he isn’t real?_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: i mean, he can’t be real if he’s also you_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: you’re you no matter what_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: oh god now i sound like a lunatic_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: it’s your fault you know_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: i never had to think twice about what i thought about you my whole life until today and i hate it_ _  
_ **_SpaceBoi96_** _: the worst part is that i’m still glad i got to know PlantMan, even if he is just a fantasy_

By this point, Wakatoshi was sitting up straight on his bed and the phone was barely an inch from his face, close enough that he could not mistake the characters on the screen. No matter how many times he looked at them, however, they always said the same thing every time.

Finally, he received a new message, and it was a snapshot of a familiar hand with a familiar keychain hooked around the little finger. 

**_SpaceBoi96_** _: i’m keeping it_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: it reminds me of how i felt before this whole fiasco_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: i know it’s still you but i just_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: you know_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: i don’t even know what i’m saying anymore_   
**_SpaceBoi96_** _: ignore me_ _  
_ **_SpaceBoi96_** _: forget i said anything_

Wakatoshi’s breath shuddered in his chest as he read, and when he hit the end of the messages, which would likely where Tooru would leave off and never pick back up, Reon’s words echoed in his brain. _Knowing who you think he is and who he really is, do you like him anyway?_

With that, Wakatoshi keyed in one simple message:

**_PlantMan15_** _: I don’t want to forget you._

It wasn’t what he had meant to say, but it was certainly what he wanted to say. All he had to do at this point was to wait.

Days passed by without a response from Tooru. Wakatoshi hadn’t been expecting one, but he did all he could do on his end. However, that didn’t stop him from checking his inbox several times over the course of his day. 

The first change in routine came when there was a loud clatter on his room window. It wasn’t unusual at all for projectiles to hit the building, especially being so close to the science center, but he had a literature exam in two weeks and he needed every available scrap of attention span he possessed to conquer it.

Over and over, the sound did not stop. Wakatoshi was tired and out of patience, so he stalked over to the window to semi-politely tell whoever it was to improve their aim so he could study. 

He certainly wasn’t expecting a battery to the face.

In the lawn below, Tooru stook with a back full of batteries, poised to throw another one until he saw Wakatoshi. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been doing this?”

Wakatoshi groaned, but a smile teased his lips. “Actually, I do.”

“Get out here, Sasquatch! I have a bone to pick with you.”

Moving to do just that, Wakatoshi paused when he saw several campus security personnel closing in on Tooru, who was brazenly wearing his own school’s colors in the middle of a rival school’s grounds. Tooru spied his pursuers just as quickly, and with a wave, he sprinted off into the shadows with several aged security guards giving chase.

Studying forgotten, Wakatoshi dashed out of his dorm building and in the direction Tooru had fled. Overtaking the guards was an easy task for an athlete at least half their age, but it was another thing entirely trying to find Tooru.

Despite his lack of footwear, Wakatoshi didn’t slow down for a moment until he heard a harsh whisper call out to him from the darkness. “Over here!”

Wakatoshi followed the voice and found Tooru entrenched in an empty water fountain strung with construction tape. He followed suit, and soon both of them were lying on their backs against cold tile, staring up toward stars drowned out by the lights of the city.

“You threw a battery at me.” Wakatoshi hadn’t meant to lead with that, but the choice did linger in his mind. 

Tooru huffed next to him. “I wanted to get your attention and it’s all I could find!” He crossed his arms and blew a shock of hair out of his eyes. “What is wrong with this stupid school? There aren’t rocks anywhere for me to throw at your window.”

An image of Tooru scouring the grounds for rocks flashed in Wakatoshi’s head and he chuckled out loud. “Well, you certainly have my attention.”

Tooru rolled over onto his side, propping his cheek in his palm. “Did you mean what you said in your last message?”

“What, that I don’t want to forget you?” Wakatoshi frowned. Every word they had said to each other thus far seemed like something straight out of a clearance rack shoujo manga, but he couldn’t stop himself from doing it anyway. “If I didn’t mean it, I wouldn’t have said it.”

Tooru’s stare was not nearly as uncomfortable as Wakatoshi expected it to be, but at no point was he anticipating a firm hand behind his neck pressing their mouths together for Wakatoshi’s first kiss. He didn’t know how to do it, but he did know he enjoyed it. 

Pulling away, Tooru gave him a toothy grin. “You’re actually kind of cute when you’re surprised.”

“At least I have something going for me.” Wakatoshi mirrored Tooru’s posture and studied his longtime rival. Hair a mess, cheeks flushed from running and maybe a few other things, and a bright smile that was all for him. The only question he had remaining was, “What made you change your mind?”

Stifling a giggle, Tooru said, “Iwa-chan, actually.” When Wakatoshi’s brows shot up at the idea of Iwaizumi Hajime encouraging Tooru to see him despite not liking Wakatoshi in the slightest, Tooru sighed. “Yeah, I know. I know. But I just . . . spilled everything, and when I was done, he asked me a single question that I felt stupid for not asking myself in the first place.”

“Oh?”

Tooru made a grumpy face and poorly mimicked his best friend’s voice. “Well, Shittykawa, even if you know both sides of him, do you still like him?”

Wakatoshi blinked in surprise. “I was given similar advice.”

With a harrumph, Tooru rolled onto his back, arms crossed over his chest and fell silent. At last, he said, “Do you know how many showers I had to take when I realized I knowingly had a thing for Ushiwaka? I looked like a raisin.”

Biting back a laugh, Wakatoshi said, “Do you know how many environmental regulations you’ve probably broken by throwing unsealed batteries all over the place?”

“Oops.” Heavy lidded eyes met his, and this time, Wakatoshi pressed forward for a kiss.

And there they lay, getting to know each other all over again in that fountain until campus security found them like that a short while later. With a promise to pick up all the batteries in the morning (and likely roping Wakatoshi into helping him), Tooru was allowed to walk rather than run off the campus after scrawling his phone number on the back of Wakatoshi’s hand. 

He resisted the urge to dial the number right away to make sure it was legitimate, but Wakatoshi couldn’t keep himself from sending a message once he got back to his dorm room. _Have a good night, SpaceBoi._

A message quickly arrived in reply:

 _Right back atcha, PlantMan!_ ﾟ･:*｡(ꈍᴗꈍ)ε｀*)~｡*:･ﾟ


End file.
